Voice Recognition

When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice. John 10: 4-5

Have you ever been in your classroom and heard voices from the hallway that you could immediately identify? Ever been able to identify which of your students was talking in line, even though your back was to them? Can you tell which of your co-workers has her class outside your door?

I have small groups of students back to back to back most of my day, and many of my students come to my door when it’s time and wait for me to invite them in. If I get a little off schedule and they have to wait for me to finish up with my previous group, I can almost always hear them in the hallway. Most of the time, I can even tell which students are there waiting. I can tell by the sounds of their voices. I’m sure you would recognize your students’ voices pretty accurately by this point in the year, too.

I know them by their voices because I have spent so much time with them. This is true of many people in my life -- my kids, my husband, my close friends. I know their voices well.

Jesus said that his followers would have that recognition, also.

So why does that feel so hard sometimes? Why is it that I sometimes feel like I don’t hear God’s voice at all?

For me, it gets hard when I get too busy to listen. When my quiet time is cut short, and I rush through it -- reading the devotion, reading the scripture, but not allowing time for it to soak in. I have to allow time to listen. I need to sit awhile with a quiet mind in a quiet place so I can hear. And I have to do it every day so that I recognize God’s voice.

Jesus taught using parables, and often his disciples had to ask him later to explain his teachings further. The parables were not completely clear to them. They even asked Jesus why He used this method of teaching instead of being more explicit in Matthew 13:10. Jesus answered in verse 15 by quoting Isaiah:
“For this people’s heart has become calloused;
They hardly hear with their ears,
And they have closed their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
Hear with their ear,
Understand with their hearts
And turn, and I would heal them.”

Jesus had many enemies who sought to trap Him in His teachings. They were listening for the wrong reason - not to learn truth, but to find something to use against Jesus. But Jesus told His disciples they were blessed because they did see and hear (verse 16).

Are you needing to hear from God today? He is not hiding, but He does desire that we spend the time with Him to learn His voice and to truly seek Him and His truth. If we keep our heart, eyes, and ears open to Him, He will reveal Himself. We can’t recognize a voice that we don’t hear regularly, but if we invest the time in the relationship, it becomes hard to miss.

God, we want to hear Your voice and know Your truth. Teach us to recognize Your voice. Help us to be better listeners. Thank You for faithfully revealing Yourself to us as we wholeheartedly seek You.

For Small Groups:
Share ways that help you to be still and listen for God’s voice.